Even
before the newspaper published the series of stories raising questions about
how Oregon's largest public transit agency is being run, legislators had grown
increasingly concerned by what have seemed like nonstop union fights, service
cuts and red ink.

Rep.
Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, the chief sponsor of House Bill 3316, said the audit
probably wouldn't have been necessary if TriMet didn't have what he sees as a reputation for ignoring problems and operating behind closed doors.

"For
an agency that controls as much money and
as many lives as TriMet, transparency is very important," Gorsek said. "We need
to know what's going there and why."

"We will be fully responsive
as the audit proceeds," the agency says in the statement.

TriMet
noted that its finances are independently audited each year, while state and
federal agencies regularly perform outside audits of its operations.

"These
reviews provide important validation on the direction of the agency, but can
also point out ways to improve our operations," the agency said. "We hope the
secretary of state's audit will provide that same validation or recommendations
on ways to improve related to recent questions raised about our finances, union
contact, non-union compensation, governance and transparency, and other issues."